How to melt an Ice Queen's heart
by Streaks of moonlight
Summary: Elsa's life was just a roller coaster that just went down without rarely ever going up. That is until someone new moves in next door and gradually brings her falling roller coaster back up. One-shot Modern AU.


Elsa Arendelle was not a fan of leaving the comfort of her home. Ever since she had been a child, she had vowed to never leave her house unless absolutely necessary (i.e, if the house was on fire or if it was a snow day but even then she would limit herself to staying outdoors on the front porch for half an hour before going back indoors). Other than that, she relied on Anna, her dearest little sister of 3 years, to get the groceries and the mail and do other important necessities that needed to be done outside the walls of her home.

Her long lasting years as a recluse started when she was only 7 years old. As any child would be, she was young, naive and very much prone to fear. Though, what made her contrary to any other children in her neighborhood was the fact that her eyes were striking azure, her skin so pale that it looked as if she was sick, and her hair so white that it resembled tufts of snow on Christmas day.

It was because of her outlandish looks that intimidated other children and thus make her a target as a bully-ee. Indeed, she lived up to the reputation to being a prey to the many predators. She took every nasty remarks; every hit with a baseball, soccer ball, football, and other types of balls that were not-so-accidentally thrown towards her; every disgusted glares and tongues stuck at her and she did not complain. Her parents took note of their daughter's silent distress and told her to ignore them, to conceal and don't feel any pain that she felt in order to be happy. She had obeyed because she was a child and as a child, she knew that she had to trust her parents since it was the only thing that she could do.

She repeated that same mantra to herself whenever the other kids attacked her until it eventually became a habit to follow whenever she was in a great deal of distress and/or emotional pain. Though, despite her reserved composure she was still not happy.

She locked herself in her room one year after the attacks started. No matter how much her parents and little sister begged her to leave her room and return to school or play outside, she refused and stood her ground. After many bribes and pleading that have gone in vain, they gave in and decided to home-school her instead, much to her complete joy, and she was able to leave her room and play with Anna within the comforting walls of their home. Ever since then she never ever set a foot off the steps of the front porch.

Her contentment with remaining indoors soon started to turn ridiculous to her parents' disappointment and her little sister's confusion. She would kindly tell her mother to buy clothes for her when she grew out of the ones that she already owned; she would brilliantly convince her little sister to bring buckets of snow from the yard and to the porch during winter; she would even trick her father into secretly getting her large jars of Nutella and keep it hidden from her mother so she wouldn't confiscate it.

This went on until she was 16 years old, when her parents' lives ended in a horrid car crash.

When she first heard of the accident, she had not taken the news too lightly. Even bright and cheerful Anna had gone through a phase where all she ate was ice cream day and night and sob herself to sleep. Elsa's approach was much more different, though. Her childhood mantra of concealing and not feeling had kicked into place and she had remained utterly emotionless for months even though she was dying inside.

Now at the age of 20, she still did not leave her house to visit her mother and father's grave no matter how much she wanted to go and pay her respects. It was Anna that had taken her place instead; she gave them flowers, spoke her and Elsa's speech during the funeral and replace the bouquet of flowers on their graves every year during the day of their death. Elsa had turned from a pitiful prey into a seemingly unfeeling monster.

In short, her life was just a roller coaster that only went down without rarely ever coming back up.

* * *

The sound of cupboards slamming resonated in the almost lifeless, two-story house. It ricocheted down the hallways, into the bedrooms, and intensifying in the bathrooms before returning to it's origin: the kitchen.

Elsa sighed and placed a hand to her head. Anna ate the last jar of Nutella which was supposed to be meant for emergencies which means that there was no Nutella left and it was now probably sitting alone and empty in the gradually growing trash can. Oh heavens, what will she do without her Nutella now? Dancing with the stars was starting in fifteen minutes and Anna was miles away from her.

This could only mean one thing: she was going to have to watch Dancing with the stars Nutella-less. The mere thought of it brought a stabbing sensation in her chest and she rested her head on the counter with a groan.

No, this simply just would not do. It wasn't the same. She always ate Nutella-covered-something while watching DWTS. It was a tradition and she had no intention in stopping it today.

She lifted her head up and tried to look around once more for another alternative. Just as long as it was chocolate, she could easily convince herself that it was Nutella and not another lower brand. But to her utter disappointment, she found nothing and was again feeling crestfallen.

Perhaps if she melted chocolate, she could just use that instead. For the millionth time that day, she hunted again for chocolate but her search ended with empty hands.

Elsa bit her lip and grabbed the phone from its charger on the counter. She dialed Anna's number into the phone and pressed the phone against her ear, her eyes wandering around the kitchen just in case she missed a place that she failed to look.

"Hello?"

"Anna! Oh, thank the stars you've answered."

"Elsa? What's wrong? DID SOMEONE FORCE THEMSELVES INSIDE? HOLD ON, KRISTOFF. MY SISTER'S IN A CRISIS."

Elsa shook her head. "No, I mean, yes, I suppose that this is a crisis but this is a much more serious crisis than that."

"What is it?" Anna sounded panicked.

"We ran out of Nutella!"

"..."

"H-hello?" Elsa pulled the phone away after another long pause from the other side of the line and frowned at it before putting back against her ear. "Anna? Are you still there?"

"Elsa, I'm at work right now. I can't just go and get you Nutella!"

"But Dancing with the stars will start in less than 15 minutes and I need the Nutella to feel complete while I gaze in wonder and amazement as the pairs twirl around gracefully on the shimmering dance floor. Chocolate will just beautify the magic! You know how important this is for me."

"Can't you just go out and get some yourself?"

"No, Anna…"

"They left years ago for college, Elsa. And for those that stayed, I doubt that they'll bother you at all. They've matured and became better people," Anna assured.

"That won't stop them from making me relive what happened back then," Elsa mumbled, hugging herself as an unpleasant memory crossed her mind. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel...

"Please," Anna begged, "You need to start coming back outside. It may be a blur, but I miss the days when we would be playing together on the sidewalk playing hopscotch… You remember that too, right?"

Elsa did. She gave a small smile, nostalgic at the recollection and tried to hold onto it a little longer before letting it go back into the depths of her mind. "But, Anna. The Nutella," Elsa persisted, trying not to get off the topic.

"If you want it that badly then you have to go and buy it yourself. Look, if it helps you any, there's a new guy that moved next door about a month ago and may I say, he's pretty cute," she giggled.

"How exactly will a 'cute' new guy help my Nutella crisis?"

"Ask him for a bowl of Nutella. That way you won't have to go so far to get it."

Elsa crinkled her nose. "That sounds a lot like those cliche ask-your-neighbor-for-sugar kind of thing…" She watched enough sappy romantic movies to know where it'd be going.

"Yes, and the many people that did that either had babies together or lived a wonderful life as best friends."

"You will absolutely not hook me up with someone that I do not know," Elsa exclaimed once she finally found out what her sister was trying to do.

Anna sighed. "I can try, can't I?"

"Yes, you can but please stop. I will never associate myself to strangers that will eventually harm me."

"But how will you make friends if you first can't meet a stranger?"

"You're the only friend that I need, my dear little sister."

"Aw, thanks, sis. But I still think that you need more contacts in your cellphone."

"One contact plus the home phone number is more than enough. Now my Nutella, Anna."

"My boss is calling. You're either going to have to ask our new neighbor for some or get it yourself. Good luck!"

"Wh-what - wait!" But it was too late. The static beep replaced her sisters cheerful voice and with a huff, Elsa returned the phone back into it's charger.

She glanced at the clock hanging above the wall near the exit/entrance of the kitchen and sighed. She didn't want to go outside. Just the thought of it made her stomach concave and churn unpleasantly. But how else was she going to get her much needed jar of chocolate?

It will only be for five minutes, she promised herself, hoping that the nearest store was indeed a short walk away. Surely no one would see her on her way there, right? That was the only thing that she was concerned of. But what about the customers in the store? What if they were there? Elsa shook her head, throwing all the pessimistic thoughts out the window. She needed that jar of Nutella. She can't be discouraged by such thoughts.

She walked towards the window above the sink and peaked outside. Since it was still broad daylight, the streets were bare and deserted. Everyone was either at work or at school and it was only a matter of time until they all came back. She pulled away and turned around, leaning her back against the edge of the sink as she contemplated. Finally making up her mind, she made her way to the door albeit in a apprehensive pace.

She paused just a few feet away and checked her attire because she was totally not stalling from leaving the house at all. For her blouse she wore a sapphire long sleeve with sleeves that reached the tips of her hands and for her bottom, beige shorts. The temperature was still ice cold since it was early spring but even so, she didn't mind. The cold never bothered her anyway.

Her petite, pale fingers gripped the doorknob with unsteady confidence and after a few shaky breaths she twisted it and opened the door slightly. Her azure eyes peaked through the crack of the door and she anxiously looked around to see if the coast was clear. Once she was sure that no one was within the vicinity, she opened the door completely and closed it shut behind her as she stepped out.

This was it. Just a few more steps and she would officially be outside. The pathway from her steps that merged with the sidewalk was the same pathway that will be leading her out of her hermit-like life and into the real world that threatened to swallow her whole if she dared place one toe on it. She swallowed thickly and took a few meek steps down the stairs. She paused at the final step and exhaled with a shudder.

Just one... more... step...

She placed one graceful foot down on the cement but she couldn't see it - her eyes were shut. She cracked open an eye. And then two. And now she was staring at her glistening blue flats.

Elsa held her up her wrist, pulled back the sleeve to look at her mint green watch and gasped. She now had only 10 minutes left! Her panic for missing her beloved showed intensified until all she was worrying about was that and not the fact that she could be jumped or egged at any given time.

She speed walked towards the sidewalk, casting nervous glances around her as she did so. Her worried eyes were quickly scanning the area, making her feel like she was going to be nauseated soon if she didn't slow down. It was because of this that she failed to see a lone man that looked to be around her age standing in front of the house next to hers.

The stranger looked at her and at that moment everything seemed to freeze. Elsa halted her steps at the sight of him and tried to refrain from looking as afraid as she felt even though her hands begged to differ. She held onto her shaking hands and placed in front of her, keeping her back straight and her eyes blank even though she wasn't feeling as confident as she looked.

"Hello!" The stranger greeted, flashing a bright smile that threatened to blind her. Elsa flinched, shocked that he acknowledged her presence without scowling.

"Good afternoon," she returned stiffly, all but wanting to run back home and cuddle underneath her blanket.

"The name's Jack. Who might you be?" He sounded kind, polite and maybe even friendly. Elsa didn't trust him. She glanced at her watch nervously and bit her lip.

"I really must go. I'm in a rush." She walked away from him and hoped that giving him the cold shoulder would be enough to not make him follow her. The stars were obviously against her for he trailed right behind, a cheery smile still in place.

"Now, that wasn't very nice. The polite thing to do would be to offer your name in return, you know."

"I really don't have the time…" she mumbled, wondering why on earth he was following her. Was he trying to keep conversing with her until he found something other than her looks to make fun of? Or was he being genuine, and wanted to actually get to know her?

"Sure you have! You have all the time in the world. Why don't you use five seconds of your life to grace me with your name?"

"I'd be wasting five seconds that I will never be able to take back," she retorted, again hoping that he would get the message and leave her be. It was weird that he wasn't throwing insults at her yet. The action itself was unsettling to her, so unnatural and she didn't like where it was going.

"Ouch," he held a hand over his heart as if he really was hurt. If he genuinely was, he would have stopped following her but much to her frustration, he was still stalking her. "You're a very mean lady." Elsa scoffed and turned on her heel, halting to a stop as she did so. The sudden pause caught Jack by surprise, causing him to nearly bump into her.

"You want my name? Fine. My name is Elsa." This was a mistake that she was going to regret ever doing but she couldn't help it. He was being so persistent that she felt as if he wouldn't stop until she gave him what he wanted and she wanted so badly for him to stop so that she could just forget that she had met him in the first place.

"Elsa," he repeated, letting the name roll off his lips as if he were savoring the taste of chocolate. Elsa repressed a strangely pleasant shudder that ran down her back.

Jack grinned, oblivious to the effect that he was having to her. "Nice to meet you, Elsa!" He held out his hand and stared at her expectantly. Elsa looked at his hand, not at all planning to take it with her own for fear that he might just pull her and make her trip or pull some other sort of mean prank. Instead, she turned around and continued her hunt for the store. She didn't look back.

(/^-^)/ * * ** * a few moments later * ** * ** *

"Hello, your majesty! It's an honor seeing you again."

Elsa screamed and dropped her jar of Nutella. The sudden outburst caused many heads to turn her way and she tried to avoid as much eye contact as she could while she bent down to grab her neglected chocolate spread.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, glaring at the origin of her suffering once her precious jar was safe in her hands. Jack chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so.

"I just thought I'd come and grab some Frosted Flakes," he replied, shaking the boxed cereal in his hand. His eyes glanced down towards the jar held firmly in her hands. "You like chocolate?"

Elsa huffed and walked away, choosing to go to the farthest cash register available with few people in line. It was ridiculous how just a few moments ago she had finally thought that she had lost him to find that he was right on her tail yet again. She just hoped that this seemingly unending nightmare would stop and disappear forever.

"... you're like an ice queen," Jack was saying. It was then did she find out that she had been unknowingly ignoring him.

"What?" she asked, the words slipping out of her mouth before she could even think what she was about to say. Damn, now he was going to keep talking and she was going to keep suffering.

"I said that you're like an ice queen. I was just reading a book about one and you just remind me of her."

"You read?" Again, she wasn't thinking. What was going on with her today?

Jack rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not, I'm actually literate."

"Shocker," she commented, placing her item on the conveyer belt.

"Hey, you're being mean again!"

"Uh, sorry?"

"That would be 5 dollars and 37 cents," the cashier spoke, interrupting Jack before he could say anything more. Elsa reached into her wallet and hunted for her money. By the time she got it together, the cashier was already giving her the receipt. She looked at the receipt and then to the cashier quizzically.

"Your boyfriend payed for it," the cashier answered her unasked question. Elsa flushed, her face resembling a tomato as she stuttered for a response.

"H-he-? WHAT? NO. NONONONONO. BOYFRIEND?" she squeaked. It was all she could do to not laugh hysterically. She coughed into her fisted hand and grabbed her item. She waited at the exit as Jack finished paying for his own item, scowling as he grinned at the cashier with that same boyish grin of mischief.

Once he was walking beside her, she shoved her money into the pockets of his dark blue hoodie. "What is wrong with you?" she reprimanded, "You claim that I'm mean and then pay for my stuff? No, you keep the money. You weren't supposed to pay for my stuff in the first place." Elsa sighed and tried to massage her head to ease off an oncoming headache.

"I just… I don't get it. Why are you so nice to me?" she asked at last, looking at him with such an intense gaze that Jack didn't know whether he should be quivering in fear or stare in silent fascination at the hypnotizing color of her eyes.

"Aren't I supposed to be nice?" He frowned. "Why are you asking anyway?"

Elsa stared at him for a while, trying to find any sign to see if he was lying. He wasn't. She shook her head and tore her gaze away from him. "It's nothing."

Jack's gaze remained on her for a moment longer before shrugging it off. Elsa breathed in shakily, relieved that she could no longer feel his eyes on her; she was starting to feel self-conscious.

It was strange. For the first time in her life, she had actually conversed with someone that wasn't related to her. Jack had melted her defenses if only just a little and she had revealed herself more than she would have ever dared to show anyone. It was scary but at the same time thrilling.

She wondered idly if this was what she was missing in her life. A friend, like what Anna would call it. Though, Elsa couldn't regard Jack as her friend. At least, not yet. Heavens, she's only known the man for a few minutes! Wait a second…

Elsa pulled up her sleeve away from her wrist and she glanced at her watch. Her azure eyes widened and she held a hand over her mouth. "OH MY STARS IT'S STARTING IN THREE MINUTES."

"What? What's starting?"

Elsa bit her lip and quickened her pace. Her home was just one block away. Would she make it in time? She hoped she did. She didn't leave the comfort of her home, get her nerves and buttons picked on by this troublesome person, and reveal herself to the real world for nothing.

Running was not her forte but she didn't seem to have much of a choice now. She was running and she could feel her legs burning with each long stride she took. She praised the heavens for giving her long legs but at the same time cursed it for giving her such crappy lungs.

By the time she arrived, she was panting heavily and Jack was all but a dot away, probably still staring dumbfounded by her sudden retreat. She fumbled for her keys and rushed to open it. Once she was inside, she slammed the door shut and speed walked towards the living room, her lungs still on fire and her legs numb.

She grabbed the remote control and one click later, she was welcomed by the sound of music and the sight of couples dancing enthusiastically on the dance floor. She leaned back into the leather couch and breathed a sigh of relief as she popped open her jar of Nutella. It was only a moment later did she realize that she was missing something to dip inside the Nutella.

* * *

Make-up was a superficial product used to boost women's self esteem by making them think that by wearing it they would look much more beautiful than their own natural beauty. Only half of that was right. Yes, it boosted their self esteem, but too much make up can make one look far more horrendous than pretty.

"Anna, that's too much lip gloss," Elsa commented, grabbing a napkin and passing it to her little sister who was dressed in her olive green and back dress. Tonight was going to be her last prom before she graduated. The thought of her little sister growing up and not being so little anymore brought on a hint of pain through her gut because how can a big sister not miss the younger, much more innocent version of her smaller sibling? She dug her fingers into the her sister's strawberry blonde tresses and began to weave it, creating a braid that she would later tie into a bun.

Not long ago she could see Anna waddling around the house, toys in hand as she demanded Elsa to play with her. Fast-forward from there and she could see Anna and her making breakfast for their mom on the Mother's Day to only wreak havoc in the kitchen, causing them to nearly burn their house down. In the end, they (along with their stressed yet chuckling father) made snowflake shaped sandwiches and orange juice. Anna would then grin a toothless grin as she shot her a thumbs up and Elsa wouldn't help but grin in return.

Memories were truly such precious things.

"Why are you you looking at me like I just did something funny?" Anna asked, wiping off the lip gloss as she stared at her sisters reflection in the mirror.

"It's just... you're growing up," Elsa conceded, "It's wonderful, don't get me wrong, but I'm going to miss little Anna..."

"You sound like mom," Anna said, a soft smile gracing her freckled face. Elsa hummed fondly, a sad smile on her face as she finished the bun.

"What time did Kristoff say that he was picking you up?" Elsa asked, adding some final touches to Anna's hair. As if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

"Now," Anna answered, a broad grin on her face as she shot up out of her seat. "Bye, Elsa! I'll be back by mid-night, I promise." After giving her sister a chaste kiss on the cheek, she walked briskly out of her room, her heels clicking after her. Elsa bit her lip and wondered if she should go and bid her farewell. She usually did that from her window but she was strangely feeling assertive and before she knew it, she was following her sister down the spiral stairs.

"Is there something wrong, Elsa?" Anna inquired, a puzzled expression gracing her features when she reached the bottom of the stairs. Elsa reached for Anna's hand and squeezed, doing it more as a reassurance for what she was going to do.

"I wanted to see you off from the front door," Elsa said, still holding onto her sisters hand. Anna's eyes widened in pleasant surprise before she smiled happily and pulled her in for a hug.

"Really?" Anna breathed, suddenly feeling excited. Elsa pulled away and nodded. "I'm so proud of you, sis! This is like, a REALLY big step for you." She pulled Elsa in for another tight hug. Elsa couldn't help but chuckle. If only she knew what happened just weeks before. This step would be considered a mild one compared to what she did a few weeks ago.

"I'm glad that my own little sister thinks so highly of me," Elsa teased once Anna finally let her go. The knock came again, this time sounding a bit more sheepish than the one before.

"Oh! Kristoff's waiting. Come on, Elsa!" Anna tugged her sisters wrist and she let her lead the way to the front door.

Elsa would be lying if she said that she wasn't nervous. Her palms were getting sweaty and she was surprised that Anna was still holding onto it with such a firm grip. Even her knees were starting to shake and she had to bite her lip so that it wouldn't dare fall into the same shaking fate as her knees.

"Elsa, this is Kristoff," Anna introduced once the door was open. Elsa nodded her head, trying to give him a small smile but it only ended up looking like a grimace. Anna noticed and discreetly dug an elbow into her side, taking her effort-smile as a disgusted grimace towards Kristoff's appearance.

"Ow!" Elsa exclaimed. Anna shot her a look and Elsa swallowed any other remark that she was about to say.

"And Kristoff, this is my big sister, Elsa," Anna continued. Kristoff held his hand out, not seeming to be fazed by the sisters' peculiar display in front of him.

"It's nice to finally meet you," he said. Elsa looked at his outstretched hand and was immediately reminded of Jack.

"Likewise," she replied, not taking his hand but giving him a polite nod instead. Kristoff awkwardly pulled his own hand away.

"Well, sis. Good-night!" Anna said, giving her sister one last bonecrushing hug before leaving. Elsa returned her hug and stepped back. Well, that certainly went better than she had imagined.

"Have fun," she said, and she watched as the couple hopped onto Kristoff's truck and drive away.

She found herself leaning against the door frame, her eyes trailing the truck as it gradually got smaller by the second. Even though it was only around 6:30, the sun was still in the sky, preparing to set as it waited for it's shift to be over. It was fascinating how the sun was able to work for so long without ever growing tired. If anything, it was getting stronger, larger and hotter as time wore on.

Humans like her would never grow to be as God-like as the sun. They would eventually shrivel up and die, like a dehydrated plant that's been left out in the sun for months without water. The sun would eventually die out as well, but it's not like bacteria would surround it, eating away at its cold, dead flesh. It'd just be surrounded by the never-ending nothingness and billions of beautifully glowing planets instead.

It was during these moments that she wished that her parents would be like the sun.

They didn't deserve to be buried under miles of dirt decaying. They were free souls; they belonged in the air filled with the same nothingness as space, to fly around freely instead of being imprisoned in a coffin. And she knew that if they were flying in the air instead of being buried underneath the earth, she'd like her body to be turned into ashes and get blown away by the wind so that she would fly towards them.

"Good afternoon, Elsa!" the oddly familiar voice broke her out of her reverie. Knowing who it was, she slammed the door shut and leaned her back against it, her thoughts still bothered as she crossed her arms.

"Aw, come on, don't act like that. I didn't do anything!" he whined. Elsa resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He was like a child.

"Won't you come outside?" Jack asked, his voice muffled.

"No," she replied. She could have just left it at that and leave her place from the door but she couldn't find herself to do so. It was like he had frozen her feet in place.

"But I have a humungous jar of Nutella and strawberries that I got from Costco."

Elsa paused and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She turned around and opened the door just a margin. Jack grinned and held his items out for her to see. He was telling the truth. "I can't eat all of these myself, you know."

After a moment of hesitation, Elsa gave in because she really just couldn't say no to a huge jar of Nutella. She exited the safety of her home and walked out, her eyes nervously looking around to find that the streets were empty. Jack bounced to the steps of the porch and sat down, putting the jar and strawberries next to him. Elsa sat down on the other side of the items and opened the carton of strawberries whilst Jack opened the jar.

Together they ate their snack in a comfortable silence as they watched the sun set. Elsa and Jack both threw the stems of their eaten strawberry into the yard, both knowing that it'll rot and eventually turn into fertilizer for the grass. It was only a matter of time until Jack turned it into a game to see who could throw the stem the farthest. In the end, they ran out of strawberries and Jack had risen victorious.

Jack rose up from his spot and stretched. "I think I deserve some sort of an award for that."

"I don't think cheaters deserve awards for winning."

"I didn't cheat!"

"You blocked my arm using your own so that I was unable to throw as far."

"I was spazzing out. You can't blame my uncontrollable muscles; it's a health condition." He winked.

Elsa couldn't help but roll her eyes as a smile crept on her face. How on earth was he able to bring a smile to her so naturally?

"In that case, your reward can be just the mere thought that you've won against an ice queen. It's not every day that poor people with health conditions defeat an ice queen," she teased.

Jack placed a finger on his chin and looked up as if he really was thinking about it. "I suppose that'd be fine but…" he looked down at her and smirked. "A better reward would be to dance with one."

Elsa's eyes widened. "What? No, Jack. I can't dance."

He shrugged. "I can't either. We can suck at dancing together."

Elsa shook her head. "No."

"Pleaassee?"

Elsa stood up. "It's getting late," she said, dismissing the previous subject entirely. She made her way to the door of her house and entered. Before she closed the mahogany door shut, she looked at him one more time and did something that she never thought she'd do to anyone besides her sister. She gave him a smile. She didn't know why she did it. It just happened. The muscles of her cheeks were tight, the corners of her lips reaching towards the heavens and it was all so natural, not forced. It took her a moment until she realized the reason why.

She had enjoyed his company.

"Good night, Jack," she said at last and closed the door.

Jack smiled in return at the now closed door, recovering from his hypnotized state because holy stars who would not be hypnotized by that smile and those eyes?

"Good night, Elsa. Oh, YOU OWE ME A DANCE BY THE WAY!"

* * *

Elsa's eyes snapped open at the faint sound of music. It was beautiful, it's melody graciously rising and falling and swaying in every direction as the seconds ticked on. It reminded her of when her father had taken her to the music store to pick out an instrument to learn when she was six years old. She had been amazed by every instrument that she saw and loved every single one of them. As she had been admiring a newly polished viola standing beside a cello, she had heard the sound of keys striking, resembling the one that she was hearing at that moment in her bed.

The only difference was that this was the melancholy of the piano.

Elsa rubbed the remnants of sleep from her eyes and looked at the clock. It was only 2 o'clock in the morning. She slipped out of her bed and wandered around the house, following the music down the spiral steps and into the kitchen where the music was ringing the loudest.

Her eyes glanced at the window above the sink and found teardrops softly hitting against the window, begging to be let inside. She blinked and wondered why the sound of the rain hadn't swallowed the piano's melody but decided not to think about it too much. She sat down on the stool near the counter and propped her crossed arms on the counter. She rested her head in her arms but kept one ear open so that she could still hear the music.

That night, Elsa fell asleep on the counter to the sad instrumental of the piano and the gentle pitter patter of the rain and right before she let herself succumb to rest, she deemed that it was perfect how both lone sounds blended perfectly together.

(~^O^)~ * ** ** * later that same morning * ** * * ** ~(^O^~)

It was exactly three hours since the last time she let her eyes roam; three hours since the last time she got up and walked around; three hours since she left her room; three hours exactly.

Elsa stared at her dusty viola case, her hands on her lap and her lips pursed. It was exactly four years since the last time she played her instrument; four years since her fingers caressed the strings, her other hand wielding the bow; four years since she gave up; four years exactly.

A few soft knocks echoed loudly in her room. "Elsa?" Anna spoke, her voice sounding as if it was far away to the unmoving woman, "Open up. You've been inside for three hours."

Silence.

Elsa couldn't hear anything anymore. She knew that Anna was talking but she was only but a whisper that danced it's way out her other ear. What she heard instead was the sound of her viola being played by herself.

She reached a shaky hand to her case and opened it. Although the case was worn and dusty, the viola resting peacefully inside was in perfect condition. She blew away the stray dust that wandered through the crevices of the case and found it's way to her viola and placed one hand on the neck of the instrument. She let out a tremulous breath as she grabbed it and take it out. With her other hand, she took her bow and propped the instrument on the top of her collarbone.

She slid the horsehairs of the bow down the strings of the instrument and grimaced at the sound. She tried again a few more times until her tone was finally the sound that she wanted it to be: deep and rich as velvet.

For a while, she tested her fingers, going up and down the scale, seeing how fast she could go and how hard she could press the strings. Once she was done warming up, she looked around for her sheet music but then remembered that they were sitting at the top of her parents' closet. Sighing, she sat down at the edge of her bed and plucked the strings of her viola.

Surely she could just freeplay, right? But how long ago had she last free played? Four years, perhaps? She didn't know. All she knew was that she had last free played with her father a century ago and it was the most wonderful moment in her life.

Maybe.. just maybe she could recreate at least some part of it for the sake of nostalgia.

She thought long and hard, trying to remember the main melody and rhythm of the song. Considering that it was a free play, it made it all the more harder for her to recall it. When she finally got some parts down, she placed her viola back onto it's proper position at the crook of her neck and began to play.

Her fingers flew against the strings gracefully, her body flowing with the music. Her eyes were closed, her breathing was steady, and her mind had only the thought of her father playing along with her with the sound of his piano. With every rise and fall, she imagined him rising and falling with her. He would catch her when she fell short, encouraging her to keep going even though she felt like she had momentarily lost her muse. Even though he wasn't playing beside her right now, she could feel him living through their music.

She held onto every note, knowing that those would be his cues. She imagined him sitting beside her, his keyboard laid out right in front of him as he played his part. She could see her mother and Anna standing nearby, watching in pride, awe and content as the music went on.

The last note hung into the air and Elsa opened her wet eyes. She was crying. She grabbed her box of tissues and pulled a lone tissue out. As she wiped her tears away, she glanced at the clock to find that it was noon. Anna should be gone for work by now.

Elsa got up and placed her instrument gently on her bed before making her way towards her door. Once she opened the door, an unexpected body fell onto the ground near her feet. Elsa frowned.

"Jack?" she said, wondering why he was in her house and most importantly, how he got inside.

"You're beautiful," he blurted, taking her by surprise, his eyes staring up at her from the floor with nothing but admiration and awe. Elsa's eyes widened considerably and she looked away, her face flushed as she cleared her throat.

Upon seeing her reaction, the whole world seemed to tumble right onto Jack, making him snap out of whatever reverie he was in. He face-palmed and sat up. "I-I… sorry. That was wrong. I meant to say that your music.. was beautiful. But it's not like I'm saying that you're not beautiful! Because... you are, so don't take it the wrong way." Jack coughed into his hand, his face equally just as red and he was glad that his back was facing her.

Elsa took note of Jack's flustered response and chuckled, finding it cute that someone as cool headed as him could be lost for words. "You think I'm beautiful, Jack?" she teased, no longer feeling so taken aback by his comment. Jack could feel his face getting hotter.

"Yeah. I mean, who wouldn't?" he replied nervously, trying to regain his composure.

Elsa hummed and bent down behind him. She peaked over his shoulder to take a look at his face to find his blush just as adorable as she could ever imagine it to be. She chuckled and placed a playful kiss to his cheek.

"Thanks, Jack. That's sweet of you to say," she murmured. He smelt like peppermint.

"Y-you're welcome, Elsa," he breathed. She smelt like a fresh bouquet of carnations.

Elsa straightened her back and looked at her viola lying patiently on her bed, radiating in the soft glow of sunshine that streamed through the clear screen of her balcony door.

"That song was supposed to be a duet," she said softly, "It was me and my dad's song. We only played it once, though, but it was the best music that I have ever played in my life."

Jack stood up and looked at the viola and then to Elsa who seemed lost in thought. The streaks of sunlight seemed to enhance her features, making her skin glow and her azure eyes shine. If he could freeze his eyes, he would choose to stare only at her forever.

"When did you start learning how to play?" he asked.

"When I was six. I had.. problems back then and my dad thought that if I could learn how to play an instrument, it would be able to help me through my conflict." She let out a bitter chuckle. "It didn't work, though. But I loved it and insisted to keep learning how to play it anyway."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah…" She released a sigh.

"What made you stop?"

Elsa paused and looked at him. "How did you know I stopped?"

Jack looked at her dead in the eye and without skipping a beat he said: "Because I know that look." Elsa stared into his eyes and noticed how blue they were. It was like staring at glaciers that she saw during documentaries about Antarctica and other locations with residing walls of ice. His glacier-colored eyes were much more warmer, though. She liked it.

Elsa tore her gaze away from him and nodded at her door. "How did you get inside?"

"Your sister let me in. Geez, Elsa. I thought you trusted me. You're looking at me like I broke in or something," he said, a pout in place. Elsa chuckled.

"Well, now you're here. Did you have any other reason for wanting to visit other than the fact that you missed me?" she teased. Jack flushed.

"Hey, I don't think it'll be hard to miss you considering that we're neighbors," Jack defended before relaxing and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I just wanted to take you to somewhere, is all."

Elsa raised a delicate eyebrow at him in surprise before sighing. "I don't like to leave my house, Jack."

"But you've done it several of times before when we sit on the porch," he persisted.

Elsa waved a hand dismissively. "That's different." She crossed her arm and dipped her neck, looking down at her flats as her lips pursed.

"What's scaring you?" Jack asked, his tone so uncharacteristically soft that Elsa had to snap her neck back up to check if it really was him talking.

"Nothing," she replied, her voice cold, devoid of any emotion as her childhood mantra kicked into place.

"You lie." Jack sat down on the floor, crossing his legs as he looked up at her. "I'm going to stay in this same spot until you tell me what's up, Elsa."

Elsa stared at him, noting his determined eyes and confident stature. She bit her lip. Knowing Jack, he would indeed be true with his words and stay there for heaven knows how long. It was disturbing, knowing that he would be there, sitting, probably watching her as she slept, read, and go online on her laptop. She shuddered at the thought and sat down on her bed with a sigh.

She didn't want to, but she didn't really have any other choices, did she?

"Children don't like to show that their cowards," she started softly. Jack tilted his head, confused but otherwise kept quiet as he waited for her to elaborate.

"They… they like to prove others wrong, showing that they're not afraid by expressing their hate towards their object of fear instead." She was starting to feel a lump form at the base of her throat but she swallowed it down. "I didn't know why the hated me so much back then," she whispered, her voice hoarse, "All I knew was that I was scared and that I didn't like it. My parents tried to help - gave me advice to 'conceal and don't feel' and get me to play an instrument at such a young age and I guess they even spoke to the children's parents but considering the never faltering attacks, they either didn't get around to lecturing them or they just didn't care either way.

"I knew it was all useless and that the only way to solve my problem would be to stay indoors. That seemed to work so I decided to lock myself forever and vowed to never leave again. Ever since then, I had very little contact to the real world. I didn't have any friends, I only had my mom, dad, and Anna to keep me company but they had lives so that left me with my viola." She grabbed her cellphone and clicked around until her screen was showing her contacts list. She showed it to Jack whose expression was unreadable. "See? I don't have friends." She pulled her phone away and placed it back on the desk. Elsa cleared her throat and brought her knees to her chest, resting her forehead on it as she prepared herself for what she was going to say next.

"My parents died when I was 16," she said at last, not lifting her head from it's position on her knees, "And I kinda just stopped playing my viola. I locked it away and spent my days sitting against my door, staring at absolutely nothing." Tears were falling down her face. "Anna needed me but I ignored her. She needed her older sister but she was gone, just like her parents." Elsa dug the heels of her hands against her eyes, wanting the tears to stop but her eyes wouldn't listen.

"During my parents' funeral, I didn't go. I had Anna say my speech. I wanted to go Jack, I really REALLY wanted to go but they were going to be there too and I couldn't find it in myself to leave my house and get abused all over again. Later during the week of their funeral, I heard a lot of talk outside the kitchen window and guess who they were talking about? Me." She waved a hand in the air as if to say 'surprise!'. Elsa sniffled and continued: "They called me a heartless monster for not being so kind as to pay my respects to my deceased parents. They don't even know! Did I mention that they were the parents of the children that harmed me? Well, after that happened, it just gave me more reasons to not want to associate myself with other people because everyone is prejudiced and like to hurt other people for their own personal pleasure."

She didn't look at Jack for the longest while but when she did, she was surprised to find his brows furrowed together in frustration and his hands fisted on his lap. He stood up and hovered over her, a concerned expression taking over. "You don't really think that, do you?" he asked. Elsa paused, knowing that he was referring to her last sentence.

"I thought I did," she conceded. Jack seemed to relax visibly at her words.

"Good, because not everyone is like that."

"Says the man that compared me to an ice queen during our first encounter."

"I said that you resembled her and it wasn't exactly a bad thing." He grabbed her phone from her desk and tapped the screen.

"What are you doing?" Elsa inquired, getting on her knees to be Jack's full height.

"I'm adding my number on here."

Elsa blinked and sat back down. "Why would you do that?"

"Partly because I can and mostly because I'm your friend."

For once in her life, Elsa was speechless. Jack placed the phone back down on the desk and released a sigh.

"There's one more thing that I need to do now."

"What is it?" Elsa asked, sounding wary.

Jack smiled and wrapped his long arms around her, lifting her off of her bed and onto the floor. Elsa blushed, uncertain with what she should do because she only gave Anna hugs but this was not Anna, heck this was a guy and she never was good with hugs in the first place.

"I'm sorry about your parents," Jack murmured against her hair.

"It's alright," Elsa replied, finding herself melting into the hug. She took note of the way her curves fitted perfectly against his body, the way he radiated such a warming aura that it felt like he really was melting the ice surrounding her heart.

"My little sister died a few years ago," he said softly. Elsa frowned. Jack had lost someone close to her and yet he didn't seem to show it. She wrapped her own slim arms around his waist and hugged him, knowing that he needed it. His arms seemed to tighten around her.

"To be exact, she died at 2 o'clock in the morning from cancer. Today's her anniversary. She was hospitalized for months and was fighting a war that a lot of people knew that she wouldn't win for years. Those assholes jinxed her death…"

"I'm sorry," Elsa whispered, not knowing what else to say but nonetheless knowing how he felt.

"It's okay… She loved it when I played the piano for her and as a tribute for her anniversary of her death, I played it at 2 o'clock in the morning because I knew that she was out there listening to it."

"That was you?" Elsa breathed, pulling her head back to look at him. Jack nodded.

"Yeah, did I wake you?"

"Yes, you did. But I loved it. Jack, you play beautifully."

Jack grinned, the corners of his mouth reaching his eyes. "Thank you. That means a lot, coming from an ice queen," he jestered.

Elsa scoffed and tried to push him away but his arms held her in place. He laughed and bent down to kiss her forehead. "By the way, that was for the kiss on the cheek."

Elsa's face turned scarlet but despite the butterflies in her stomach, she managed to scowl at him, though it looked more of a pout than a fierce glare. Jack snickered, deciding to kiss her forehead much more often just to get her to make that face. Surely she wouldn't mind, right?

* * *

"Elsa, what the hell is that?"

Elsa frowned. "She is not a 'that', Jack. Her name is Snowflake and Snowflake would like it if you regard her as Snowflake and not a horrifying object." The small white snowball curled up in her lap mewed and Jack scowled.

"But she's a cat! I'm hurt that you're not mean to her like how you were with me during the first time we met."

Elsa chuckled. "That's exactly the reason why I'm not mean to her."

"Because she's a cat," he deadpanned.

"Because she's a cat," she returned, stroking the kittens soft fur. Jack narrowed his eyes at the kitten as he heard a roar of a purr erupt from it.

"Hey, don't glare at her. She's starting to feel nervous."

Jack threw his hands up in the air, finding how ridiculous her fondness for the cat was. What about him?

"There's no need to be jealous, Jack," Elsa teased as if she read his mind.

"I'm not jealous," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm not even mad!"

"Oh?" she remarked playfully. "Then would mind holding onto her for a moment while I help Anna prepare her bed in my room?"

"IN YOUR ROO - I mean, no, I wouldn't mind at all," he recovered, forcing a smile as he took a seat next to her on the stops of the porch. Elsa held back a snicker and placed the kitten onto his lap before getting up and entering her home.

Once he was sure that she was out of earshot, he picked the kitten up and held it in front of his face. "Look, you little midget, I am Elsa's first friend and I would like it to remain that way. I don't want you to replace me and take my place and suddenly start cuddling next to her on her bed. Heck, I haven't even made it that far yet… So, furball, you lay back, got it?"

Snowflake hissed and scratched his nose. Jack yelped and dropped the cat. Once he realized what he had just done, he scrambled and frantically chased the cat around the yard. The cold, autumn wind nipped at his slightly bleeding nose but he barely noticed it. He didn't mind much for the cold. Besides, he had other things to worry about other than a small scratch.

Ohcrapohcrapohcrap he was screwed. Elsa was going to yell at him and freeze him and lock him in her basement without ever professing her love for him and oh the horror. And it would all be because of this midget furball.

"H-hey! Come back here!" he protested.

To his utter terror, Elsa reappeared at the door, watching him as he tripped over a rock and skid to a halt on the lawn. The midget furball pranced on top of his head and hopped down before sashaying back to Elsa like an innocent angel.

"Um, she wanted to play tag?" Jack said lamely. He shut his eyes and prepared himself for an earful but was surprised when he heard melodic laughter instead.

He opened his eyes and sat up, staring dumbfounded as he watched Elsa leaning against the doorframe for support as she laughed her guts out. It was in this moment did he deem that her laughter would be his favorite music.

* * *

Elsa loved snow more than her viola and that was saying something since she had her viola for over more than ten years. But what she didn't like about snow was the fact that it was the cause of her parents' death.

They had been off running errands and it was late at night. She didn't know why they would be shopping so late but didn't further question it. From the look of their faces, she could tell that it was urgent and that any questions would be answered indirectly or avoided entirely.

Up to this day, she still didn't know why they were rushing or why they had to leave so late.

Elsa picked up some snow into her bare hands, liking the way the cold ran from her fingertips, through her arms and into her body. It was a pleasant feeling. But what dulled it was the fact that today was supposed to be a solemn day.

"Why are you wearing a black dress?" Jack questioned, eyeing her attire with utmost curiosity. She was wearing a coat over the black dress that reached above her ankles and dark brown boots. Knowing Elsa, Anna must have forced her into wearing the coat and boots.

"Today's their death anniversary," she replied, getting up from her spot on the steps. "I'm going to go and see them."

"By yourself?" he asked, knowing who she was referring to.

"No, Anna's coming with me. We're riding with Kristoff. Would you like to tag along?" she asked, though, Jack could tell from the pleading look in her eyes that she wanted him to come.

"Sure."

(/^~^)/ ** * * ** * * one long drive later * ** * * ** \(^O^\)

The cemetery was blanketed with snow. It was difficult to decipher the names engraved on the tombstones so it was a while until the four finally found the graves of Mr. and Mrs. Arendelle.

"I knew that they would be together until the day that they would be buried," Elsa said, a fond smile on her face. Although, she still thought that they deserved to be able to roam freely in the air, she was content with the fact that they were beside each other in their death.

Anna took out her bouquet of flowers and replaced the withering ones with it. She then lied down on the snow and began to murmur words that Jack couldn't make out. He watched as Elsa bent beside her, for once her expression mixing with the millions of emotions running inside of her.

"So you're Jack…"

Jack's head snapped up, looking for the origin of the voice but only found Kristoff staring silently at the graves and Anna and Elsa murmuring whispers.

"Elsa's talking about you right now," a new voice entered, this time it's tone belonging to a male. Beside the grave, he could see an apparition of a man and a woman. Jack bit his tongue so as not to yell out in surprise when the woman placed a delicate finger over her lips.

_"They can't see or hear us…"_ the woman explained solemnly.

_"It's a shame but seeing us... it would hurt them too much,"_ the man spoke.

_"Oh, no, it won't. They'll be more happy seeing us than hurt,"_ the woman argued.

_"My mistake. My apologies, my love. But anywho, let's not neglect our daughter's future husband."_

_"Oh, that's right."_

_"Thank you so much for helping Elsa,"_ the man said, his voice overflowing with genuine gratefulness.

_"Yes, thank you a million. She's been struggling for so long… I'm glad that she's finally found a friend."_

_"From the sound of it, she seems to really love you."_

_"Ah.. our dear daughter has found love…"_

_"Don't worry, my boy, you have our blessing to be with her, right honey?"_

_"Oh yes. Please continue to be kind to her. Though, from the looks of it, I don't think you'll have any problems with that."_

_"Oh dear… it seems that our time is up. I wish that these visits were much more longer."_

_"Even me, my love. Ah, farewell, Jack. I love you, Elsa. I love you, Anna."_

_"Good-bye my beautiful daughters. Until next time, Jack."_

Jack blinked and just as quickly as they appeared, they disappeared with the faint blow of the wind. That was… interesting. He didn't know whether or not to believe what he saw but something in his heart was telling him that he should.

"Jack? Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" He shook his head, shaking his thoughts away. "Are you done?"

Elsa nodded, hugging herself as she walked towards him. "Anna told me that she was going to take a while. It's weird. It should be me that's supposed to take long considering how long I haven't visited them."

"Yeah? What did you talk about with them?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Elsa coughed. "Stuff…"

Jack smirked. "You okay, Elsa? Your cheeks are really red… are you getting cold?" he teased, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"No, I don't get cold. Let go of me."

Jack chuckled and he found his thoughts trailing back to what Elsa's mother said. Future husband…. He liked the sound of that. It had a nice ring to it and he could picture himself spending the rest of his life with her as well.

The first time he saw her, she had taken his breath away and she still managed to keep doing so. Elsa was a mystery, filled with quiet surprises that never failed to leave him amused. He loved her and he wouldn't mind waking up everyday to the smell of fresh carnations and sky-colored eyes.

It was in this moment did he realize how much he had grown to know Elsa. Not the ice queen Elsa, but Elsa Arendelle. She had a beautiful heart and he was fortunate enough to be one of the few people that got to see it. Their moments were special, spent only between them and spoken in ways that only they would understand. He would never let that go. He would never let her go.

* * *

**A/N: Crappy ending is crappy but then again, I like to think that there is no ending just because I'm weird like that. So I hope you all liked Elsa's journey. I know that I skipped over some parts but I felt like I had to or else this was going to turn into a multi-chaptered fic more than a one-shot. So I'm sorry if you felt like their relationship was rushed.****  
**

**This was a really long one-shot though holy damn. I hope it didn't bore you!**

**Also (I've been refraining myself to saying this but I can't so here it is), as you can see, Elsa's slightly ooc, but she's supposed to be. Her past here is different than the one in canon and as you all/will know, the past is the base for a characters personality/actions/feelings. This goes for Jack as well.**

**I'm planning on doing a multi-chaptered story for JElsa but I'm not sure yet... ghdfksghdfsg oh well, if time permits, I'll do it. **

**Reviews and favorites are always gladly appreciated!**

**- Streaks of Moonlight**


End file.
